Promoting Students’ Mental Wellness: Implementing Mindfulness-Based Interventions Within Multitiered Systems of Support

Abstract

The pandemic has exacerbated student dysregulation, leading to drastic changes in academic achievement and student behavior today. Mindfulness, an evidence-based practice, can help to regulate the nervous system (Rashedi et al., 2020; Taylor et al., 2019) or “unflip a student’s lid” (Siegel, 2012, p. 10-6). This allows students to manage their behavior and shift their focus to learning. In this article, we discuss the rise of concerns regarding students’ mental health, the relationship between the nervous system and student behavior and mental health, and how mindfulness and movement are connected to the body. We also review research on mindfulness-based interventions and how school counselors can effectively implement such interventions within multitiered systems of support (MTSS) with fidelity and feasibility.